Déjà Vu! U.S. Intel On a Country Against Which Bush Wants to Go to War Has Proved Wrong

VIENNA — Although international concern is growing about Iran's nuclear program and its regional ambitions, diplomats here say most U.S. intelligence shared with the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency has proved inaccurate and none has led to significant discoveries inside Iran.

The officials said the CIA and other Western spy services had provided sensitive information to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency at least since 2002, when Iran's long-secret nuclear program was exposed. But none of the tips about supposed secret weapons sites provided clear evidence that the Islamic Republic was developing illicit weapons.

"Since 2002, pretty much all the intelligence that's come to us has proved to be wrong," a senior diplomat at the IAEA said. Another official here described the agency's intelligence stream as "very cold now" because "so little panned out."

All the same, el Baradei thinks that’s what they’re moving toward. I believe him, as he’s the same fellow who said Sadaam Hussein couldn’t gear up to anything close to a WMD for a minimum of 5-10 years just prior to the bloody romp in Iraq.
Just as the facts were disregarded then, they will be now, whatever they may be. Dick Cheney has an agenda to push and his finger is on an unequivocal button.

-----Posted by Sheila Condit on 2007-02-25 13:40:58

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